Lighting the Way

From the John Bauer Tarot, the Sun (Among Gnomes and Trolls); from the Arthur Rackham Oracle, 'Courage' (A Midsummer Night's Dream):

          A young man travels with a large sack on a sunny day. The Bauer lwb suggests this is a time for optimism as progress is being made. Sure it's rather warm, but what's been bagged has made this journey worth it, and he's surely learned much along his journey. This fellow's discovered nothing is acquired or kept without effort, and he now understands what makes the effort worthwhile. The Courage card shows a wee lass (who looks like a strong breeze might blow her down) watching from a hill. Outwardly, she seems tiny, but her heart is not. Buddhist teacher Lin Jensen once told a student who complained of fear, "If it keeps hanging around, it might have something to tell you." She took his advice, and instead of trying to rid herself of her fears, she decided to befriend them. She found that most were no longer scary and a few were warranted (like walking alone late at night). She told him, "I wanted courage, and I found out that there is no courage without fear. You don’t get one without the other." The clarity of the Sun often shows the truth when we shine the light in those dark corners.